Blue Himalayan poppy – Meconopsis x Lingholm

I was in touch with a good friend I met and worked with in 1975, and it was he, George G., who brought me to this area for the first time. We worked and stayed in a Cotswold manor farm in the hamlet of Througham throughout that long hot summer. Then we went to stay with his half-sister Sarah in Wiltshire while she and her many other friends and partners opened and ran a new fun restaurant called Parsenn Sally on Milsom Street in Bath. They were fun times.

George now lives in London again and when we made contact last week he put me in touch with his other half-sister Katya, who lives in a village near Cirencester. He thought she might like some advice on sorting out the files on her Apple computers, and today was the day when I went to visit and meet her for the first time.

I think I was of some help and I expect we shall have another session in a few weeks time. When we finished wew walked into her lovely garden and she insisted I should have a look at her wonderful blue flowered poppy. She was right to. I loved it. I have seen one before and now I'm sure I will get hold of some for our garden despite them being rather tricky to grow. There's nothing like a good challenge.

I went to the car as I luckily had a camera so I quickly took a few pictures even though it was quite breezy. This picture is of a newer flower. The first flower on the right hand side is more open and its' 'parts' are more developed. I moved the plant from the shade of a tree and the shelter of a stone wall to get better light. Sadly one of the petals of the older flower blew off, but Katya took it away to press it. Nothing is wasted. It was given to her by friends whom they were visiting on the Isle of Mull. Isn't is divine!